High Technology Education Coalition Selects
15 Students for University Research Activity

PLANO, Texas (March 16, 2005) — In one of their first major actions, the members of the High-Technology Education Coalition of Collin County, or Hi-TECCC, today announced that 15 Plano Independent School District students have been selected to serve an internship on The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) campus this summer.

The students are:

Vines High School — Christina Mosher and Thien-an Ngoc Nguyen

Plano Senior High School — Frank An, Johnathan Rose, Stephanie Weng

Clark High School — Ashley Hudson, Meha Goyal, Mimi Lu

Williams High School — Priyanka Hooghan

Plano East Senior High School — Parastou Fatemi

Jasper High School — Sunshin Zhou, Shelby Iype, Jack Wang

Plano West Senior High School — Ryan Lee, Qishen Chang

The honorees were announced at the annual Plano ISD Secondary District Science Fair awards ceremony at the Plano Centre.

Over the summer, students will be working side-by-side with university professors, Ph.D. candidates, graduates and undergraduates and will be receiving broad overviews on a wide-range of ongoing research endeavors.

“How exciting it will be for a high school sophomore to work along side a nationally recognized researcher. This internship program is the kind of opportunity that Hi-TECCC dreamed of and is now delivering. Plano ISD is very fortunate to be a part of this group that should serve as a national model for the way industry and educational institutions can partner,” said Dr. Doug Otto, superintendent of the Plano ISD.

“We’re eager to get these bright young minds on our campus to shed some light on the wonders of math and science and what their future can look like in those careers,” said Dr. Michael Coleman, dean of undergraduate education at UTD. “They will learn about the nature of science, the operation of research and specific techniques and procedures that are part and parcel of a particular research area. For example, an intern in neuroscience might learn how to slice and stain frozen cross-sections of the brain to reveal specific features of the tissue.”

Local education and business leaders signed the Hi-TECCC agreement in October 2004 as a collaborative effort designed to ensure that area students receive a high-quality education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Although this is the first program announced, the coalition is working to deliver several new programs including strengthened professional development, scholarships, incentive programs and others that will improve student performance and increase inter-campus opportunities.

The members of Hi-TECCC are the Plano Independent School District, the Collin County Community College District and UTD, with an advisory committee of industry leaders from Lockheed Martin, Nortel Networks, Raytheon and Texas Instruments.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.